The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Suicide loss changes everything. This show is about life after suicide—real talk and practical support for grief after suicide: parents, partners, siblings, and friends finding their footing again. Each week, we explore what helps in suicide bereavement so you can keep going with honesty and hope.
Hosted by Melissa Bottorff-Arey, whose 21-year-old son, Alex, died by suicide in 2016, the podcast blends intimate conversations with survivors, healers, and mental health experts with short solo “Daily Nugget” episodes you can actually use. We cover child loss, trauma and nervous-system care, anniversaries and seasons, stigma, faith and meaning, legacy, and the everyday practices that make life livable again. You’ll hear grounded tools, language that honors your person, and the reminder that you are not broken—you are grieving.
For supporters and educators, these episodes offer insight into the realities of suicide grief and what genuine, non-fixing support looks like. If you’d like to share your story or expertise, you can request to be a guest via my website. 💜
Content Note
This podcast speaks candidly about difficult experiences and may feel activating. We avoid method details and graphic description. Please care for yourself as needed. I’m not a doctor or licensed therapist; nothing here is medical or mental-health advice.
The Leftover Pieces: Suicide Loss Conversations
Mindsets, Motivation & Monkeys" Pt 3; I'll Get You My Pretty...
Today is MONKEYS DAY, where I'm returning to the rabbit hole to discuss the third (& final) piece in my current series, "Mindset, Motivation & Monkeys."
So now you have your mindset (or at least know what you would like it to be; goals are a first step), you have picked your guidance word of the year, and you have discovered your motivation. So what now?
In this episode, I discuss MONKEYS! Ok, as you may have guessed, not actual monkeys (flying or otherwise) but rather boundaries! (aka - 'not my circus, not my monkeys')
Setting boundaries after loss is much more complicated than before, like everything, right? But for many of us, there are hurdles we can't overcome after the mindset and motivation part, and then we end up feeling stuck. Today, I discuss this at length to give you some actionable ideas that may help.
In this episode, hear me discuss:
- the myth that boundaries are there to stop us
- The next step - how to start
- Recognizing your monkeys - name them
- Defining them
- Enforcing them
- Real grief examples and more...
In the end, we are truly only limited by what we believe, and we have a choice in what we think and choose to believe. Our possibilities for life 'after' loss are only limited by our own mind. Yep, there's a LOT in those two sentences. Read them again. (And I know it's extraordinarily hard, but we can do hard things!)
Some BONUS follow Up READING - just food for thought & for fun:
A Person Without Boundaries ... (a post from The Daily Stoic)
Setting Healthy Grief Boundaries (an easy read about a difficult thing!)
THANK YOU for listening to this episode. It means so much to me!
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My WEBSITE "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is support central.
PS....The FIRST SESSION of the Legacy Writing Project in 2024 is under way BUT you can get on the wait list for the August 7 group NOW!!
For a way to leave a Legacy of your child - GO HERE
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts PLEASE reach out:
CALL 988 OR, you can also TEXT the
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💜 The Leftover Pieces is support central for grieving hearts.
🔗 Stay connected: Join my free email community for weekly check-ins, resources, and encouragement.
🌟 For moms: Explore the $9 Lighthouse Community — safe connection, tools, and hope.
🛠 Resources for all grievers: Start here.
🤝 One-on-one grief coaching for moms after child loss to suicide: Learn more here.
📞 Need help now? If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal thoughts, dial 988 in the U.S. & Canada, or text HOME to 741741.